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Local Enterprise Development, South Down
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to establish a Local Enterprise Development Unit office in the constituency of South Down.
Mr. Needham : There are no plans to establish a LEDU office in the constituency of South Down. The area is covered by LEDU's southern regional office in Newry.
Labour Statistics
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many young people under 25 years of age are currently unemployed ; and if he will list the numbers by district council area.
Mr. Needham : At January 1992, the latest date for which information is available, there were 28,686 unemployed claimants under 25 years of age in Northern Ireland. Information on the numbers of unemployed young persons by district council area is available from the NOMIS database which can be accessed on-line by House of Commons Library staff.
Colleges of Further Education
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the funding allocations to colleges of further education in each of the education and library boards since 1 April 1982 to 31 March 1992.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is as follows :
£ 000s
|Belfast |Western |North- |South- |Southern
|Eastern |Eastern
---------------------------------------------------------------
1982-83 |3,683 |1,903 |2,878 |2,313 |3,347
1983-84 |3,838 |1,961 |3,041 |2,300 |2,907
1984-85 |3,904 |2,153 |2,963 |2,545 |2,866
1985-86 |3,805 |2,381 |3,252 |2,786 |2,974
1986-87 |4,018 |2,489 |3,270 |2,948 |3,443
1987-88 |4,191 |2,820 |3,596 |3,137 |4,483
1988-89 |5,678 |3,307 |3,975 |3,856 |5,662
1989-90 |6,265 |3,806 |4,405 |4,162 |7,026
1990-91 |6,472 |4,121 |4,896 |4,655 |8,620
1991-92 |17,510 |11,513 |14,763 |13,292 |15,169
Notes:
1. The figures represent recurrent and capital expenditure,
for the
years 1982-83 to 1989-90 they are taken from the boards'
audited
accounts and for 1990-91 from the unaudited accounts.
2. The figures for 1991-92 are the boards' further and higher
education budgets as stated in their financial schemes.
Following
the introduction of local management of colleges on 1/4/91
these
budgets include provision for full time teachers' salaries,
which
had previously been paid directly by the Department of
Education
for Northern Ireland.
Registration of Clubs
Mr. Trimble : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the organisations and individuals which have made representations regarding the provisions of the Registration of Clubs (Northern Ireland) Order 1987 and the regulations made thereunder.
Mr. Hanley : The information requested is as follows :
Armagh City and District Arts Committee.
Association of Local Authorities in Northern Ireland.
Craigavon Borough Council.
Environmental Health Department, Belfast City Council.
Golfing Union of Ireland, Ulster Branch.
Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.
Irish Rugby Football Union, Ulster Branch.
Law Society of Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland Bridge Union.
Northern Ireland Federation of Clubs.
Sports Council for Northern Ireland.
The Workers Party.
Ballyclare Rugby Football Club.
Ballymoney Rugby Football Club.
Collegians Club.
Donaghadee Rugby Football Club.
Dromore Rugby Football Club.
Dungannon Football Club.
Knock Golf Club.
Lisburn Rugby Football Club.
Malone Rugby Football Club.
Omagh Academicals Rugby Football Club.
Pearce Og GAA Club, Armagh.
Portadown Rugby Football Club.
Rainey Old Boys Rugby Football Club.
Royal Ulster Yacht Club.
Warrenpoint Commercial Club.
Roy Beggs Esq. MP (Councillor) [for Whitehouse Working Men's Club].
Dr. Joseph Hendron (Councillor).
Seamus Mallon Esq MP [for GAA Clubs].
Eddie McGrady Esq. MP [for Lecale Indoor Bowling League]. Cecil Walker Esq. MP [for Northern Ireland Federation of Clubs]. Three members of the public.
Mr. Trimble : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library a copy of the representations made to his predecessor on 7 June 1989 by the Golfing Union of Ireland (Ulster branch) on the subject of the Registration of Clubs (Northern Ireland) Order 1987 and the regulations made thereunder ; and what response has been given to those representations.
Mr. Hanley : A copy of the representations, with the response, has been placed in the Library.
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Mr. Trimble : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has yet considered the review, dated 4 April 1990, of the operation of the Registration of Clubs (Northern Ireland) Order 1987 by the licensing legislation and voluntary sports clubs joint working group ; if he will place a copy of the review in the Library ; and if he intends to take into account the recommendations made in that review.
Mr. Hanley : I have considered the review and a copy has been placed in the Library. I shall take its recommendations into account in considering the relevant legislation.
Mr. Trimble : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to complete his review of the Registration of Clubs (Northern Ireland) Order 1987 and the regulations made thereunder ; and when he expects to introduce proposals for further legislation on this subject.
Mr. Hanley : The order and regulations are kept under continuous review. The Government have no plans at present to introduce proposals for further legislation in this field.
Set-aside Schemes
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many set-aside schemes have been implemented in the constituency of South Down since 1 April 1988 to 31 March 1991 and from 1 April 1991 to 31 December 1991.
Mr. Hanley : Statistics are not available on a constituency basis, however, the numbers of farmers entering into set-aside agreements in the whole of County Down is as follows :
|1 April 1988- |1 April 1991
|31 March 1991- |31 December 1991
--------------------------------------------------------------------
5 year scheme |13 |8
1 year scheme<1> |n/a |5
Note:
<1> The 1 year set-aside scheme was introduced in September 1991
and will run to August 1992.
Industrial Sites
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in obtaining land for industrial sites on the Ballydugan road, Downpatrick ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham : IDB is negotiating for the purchase of a six acre site at Down Race club, to be used for industrial purposes. While I hope that the negotiations will be successful, the outcome will not be known for some months.
Blood Products
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many donations of blood were taken by the National Blood Transfusion Service in Northern Ireland in each year from 1978 to the latest year available.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 17 February 1992] : The information requested is not immediately available. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of that letter in the Library.
Column 139
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many transfers of (a) blood and (b) blood products were performed by the national health service in Northern Ireland in each year from 1978 to the latest year available.Mr. Hanley [holding answer 17 February 1992] : This information is not held centrally.
WALES
Housing Associations
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to increase the level of grant rate for housing associations in Wales.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The level of housing association grant is linked to building society mortgage rates. It falls to Housing for Wales to adjust the grant rate accordingly.
Compensation Claim
Mr. Edwards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received concerning the claim for compensation on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Heselton, Runston farm, Shirenewton, Chepstow, Gwent ; when he expects a resolution to the matter ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : My Department wrote to Mr. and Mrs. Heselton's solicitors on 3 January 1991 in response to a claim for costs arising out of a planning application. No representations have been received since then, but I understand that the solicitors have approached the Ministry of Defence on this matter.
Usk Barrage
Mr. Edwards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding the impact on fish on the River Usk and its tributaries of the proposed Usk barrage ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : I have received a number of representations about the impact of the proposed Usk barrage on fish stocks.
Mr. Edwards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received concerning the proposed Usk barrage ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : I have received 53 representations concerning the proposed Usk barrage. Most of them refer to the environmental impact of the barrage.
Sewage Treatment
Mr. Edwards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from Usk town council, Usk civic society and Usk action group regarding the application for a sewage treatment plant at the island picnic site near the River Usk ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : I understand that representations were made by Usk town council and Usk Civic Society in the context of a planning appeal for a sewage treatment plant. The appeal fell to be determined by a
Column 140
planning inspector appointed by my right hon. Friend and, following a local inquiry, his decision to allow the appeal was issued on 30 January. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the merits of the development.Elderly People
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the latest figures for the percentage of (a) elderly men and (b) elderly women living in homes for old and disabled elderly people in Wales.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : On 31 March 1990, 22.1 per cent. of residents in homes for the elderly were men aged 65 or over and 76.0 per cent. women over that age. The remainder were under 65. Residents aged 65 or over represent 15.7 per 1,000 population in that age group in the case of men, and 36.1 per 1,000 in that of women.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the latest available figures showing the incidence of dementia amongst the elderly population in Wales ; and if he will give an overall breakdown according to type of dementia.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Studies suggest that approximately 10 per cent. of people in Wales aged 65 and over, and 25 per cent. of those over 80, show evidence of intellectual failure.
County teams working to implement the all-Wales mental illness stategy are expected to assess local need and, over time, that should help to build up a clearer picture of the incidence of dementia.
Disability
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish figures showing the severity and age distribution of disability by its various medical causes in Wales.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Information on the distribution of disability by medical cause is not held centrally.
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to announce decisions on HLCA payments for each forthcoming year no later than the end of December in the previous year.
Mr. David Hunt : I fully recognise the importance of the hill livestock compensatory allowance scheme to our livestock producers in less favoured areas, and always seek to ensure that decisions on the HLCA scheme arrangements are announced as quickly as possible.
Coracle Fishermen
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will introduce legislation to safeguard the future interests of the coracle fishermen in west Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : I am aware of the concern about the future of the coracle fishermen in west Wales and the cost of their fishing licences, and am considering the representations that have been made to me.
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Ewes
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many flocks of more than 1,000 breeding ewes there are in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : There were 898 main holdings with flocks of more than 1,000 breeding sheep in Wales in June 1991.
Dyfed Health Authority
Mr. Denzil Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was (a) the capital and (b) the revenue allocation of East Dyfed health authority for the financial year 1991-92 ; and what were the corresponding figures for each of the other health authorities in Wales.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : The information requested, relating to the latest notified discretionary capital and revenue allocations for 1991-92 for the East Dyfed health authority and for other district health authorities in Wales, is as follows :
|Discretionary|Discretionary
|Capital |Revenue
|Allocation |Allocation
|1991-92 |1991-92
|£ million |£ million
----------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |18.3 |147.8
East Dyfed |3.6 |91.4
Gwent |7.5 |159.1
Gwynedd |5.3 |89.5
Mid Glamorgan |10.6 |205.9
Pembrokeshire |3.9 |40.7
Powys |2.7 |53.1
South Glamorgan |11.4 |180.9
West Glamorgan |12.3 |134.2
Mr. Denzil Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the proposed (a) capital and (b) revenue allocation of East Dyfed health authority for the financial year 1992-93 ; and what are the corresponding figures for each of the other health authorities in Wales.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones) on 4 February, when he announced the allocation of resources for hospital, community health and related services in Wales for 1992-93.
EC Committee of the Regions
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a consultation document on the most appropriate means for Wales to be represented among the 24 representatives from the United Kingdom on the European Community Committee of the Regions.
Mr. David Hunt : I have no plans to do so. The Government will be considering in the course of 1992 how the 24 United Kingdom seats should be allocated and the candidates chosen.
Charge Capping
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his statement of 12 February, Official Report, column 1053, if he will give figures for the numbers of civil
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servants who have been allocated to the special unit he has set up to make the necessary arrangement for charge capping ; how many of them are full time with no other duties ; what is its total estimated establishment cost ; and if he will make a statement on the main principles by which it will perform its duties.Mr. David Hunt : The principles governing the charge capping of local authorities in Wales are set out in part VII of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, as amended by the Local Government Finance and Valuation Act 1991.
The number of staff required for the special unit will depend on the number of authorities setting budgets above my expenditure plans as approved by Parliament on 12 February. The bulk of the work of the unit will involve individual scrutiny of such budgets, to enable me to decide whether they place an unacceptable burden on charge payers.
Counties are required to set their budgets before1 March, and districts before 11 March.
Schools Inspectors
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which grant- maintained schools have been visited by Her Majesty's inspectors ; in each case (a) by how many inspectors, (b) for how long and (c) at what cost ; and whether it is proposed to publish any report arising from these visits.
Sir Wyn Roberts [holding answer 3 February 1992] : Her Majesty's inspectors have made two visits to Cwmcarn comprehensive grant- maintained school. On both occasions, one inspector visited the school and stayed for the day. The cost of the visits was around £500. In addition, when I visited the school last December, I was accompanied by a member of the inspectorate.
Visits of that nature do not result in published reports but contribute to more general reports, such as the HMI annual review of educational provision in Wales.
SCOTLAND
Boundary Commission
Sir Hector Monro : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Boundary Commission for Scotland has yet decided when to start a general review of constituencies in Scotland.
Mr. Lang : The Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 requires the Boundary Commission for Scotland to submit its next general report between February 1993 and February 1998 and within these limits the commission has discretion when to start a general review. The commission, in the exercise of its discretion, gave notice on 16 February 1992 of its intention to commence forthwith a general review of constituencies in Scotland.
Constituencies
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the six largest and six smallest electorates in parliamentary constituencies and the average electorate for each constituency.
Mr. Dorrell : I have been asked to reply.
Column 143
The United Kingdom constituencies with largest and smallest parliamentary electorates in 1991 were as follows :
|Number
----------------------------------------------------
Largest
Isle of Wight |101,784
Eastleigh |91,871
Huntingdon |91,779
East Hampshire |91,519
The Wrekin |90,980
Swindon |90,343
Smallest
Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale |39,608
Glasgow Provan |37,838
Meirionnydd Nant Conwy |32,754
Orkney and Shetland |31,355
Caithness and Sutherland |31,120
Western Isles |23,073
The average parliamentary constituency electorates in 1991 were 66,908 in the United Kingdom and 66,915 in Great Britain, counting Milton Keynes as two constituencies in both cases. Corresponding information relating to the 1992 registers is not yet available.
Forestry Commission
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he is considering to dispose of the assets of the Forestry Commission or any part of them to the public sector ; and if he will make a statement.
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